This Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire interview is basically like watching 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'

The secret’s out: Spider-Man: No Way Home features an epic trio of all three actors who have played the spidey-hero over the past 20 years. We’re talking OG SM, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland. Since the whole concept was such a secret, the three haven't yet come together to talk about it publicly. UNTIL NOW. 

The three actors appeared together on a Zoom call to talk about the “emotional” journey of returning home in No Way Home, how intimidated Tom was by his co-Spidies, and which Spider-Man's idea it was to recreate the cartoon Spider-Man meme. 

Tom Holland was particularly struck by how the trio’s return to the franchise had an emotional impact on him, along with the possible finality of his own participation.

“There definitely was a sense for me, as an actor, that this was the last time that I could potentially don the suit, so a lot of that emotion came from the act of saying goodbye, which is one of the biggest themes throughout this film,” he told Deadline’s Pete Hammond, who moderated the Zoom call. 

“But this film also felt like a celebration of three generations of cinema. So, at times, we would be getting into these scenes that were incredibly emotional. They’re very taxing, and I was so happy to be there, that I had to go at it a different way and kind of go, ‘Wow, look at my life. Look what’s happened to me. I’m working with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield and we’re telling this story,’” he continued. 

“And I would get emotional at kind of how proud I was of the situation that we were in and what we were doing and that I really believed in what we were doing. So, yeah, it was tough, but you know, anything hard is worthwhile. I was happy to kind of really push myself and to make this film more emotional than superhero films have been in the past.”

As for Tobey and Andrew, these two Spider-Men did whatever a spider can to rejoin the franchise.

For Tobey, he was mostly swayed by the love of the creative process embodied by producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal. “To me, when artists or, you know, people who are steering the creative process have a kind of authentic, genuine intent of celebration and love, it just was so apparent in both of them, that, I don’t know, I just wanted to join that. And I’m a big fan of Tom and those movies and Andrew. So, it was definitely intriguing, but yes, I was also going, ‘Well, what are we going to do? And that was a bit mysterious.”

Then Andrew revealed that he only agreed to sign on to the movie if Tobey was locked in.

“Well, I was just waiting to see if Tobey was going to do it, and if Tobey was going to do it, then I was like, ‘Well, I have no choice,’ you know? I follow Tobey to the ends of the earth. I’m a lemming for Tobey,” he laughed.

“But that was sincerely a big part of it when I was approached about it, and again, it’s similar to what Tobey was saying. It was like, ‘Oh, the intention feels very pure here. It actually feels like a great creative idea and a great creative story.’ It wasn’t like they were just asking us to come and say hi and then leave again but actually have our presence being in service to Tom, being in service to Tom’s journey and where he is as Peter Parker.”

“And I love the destiny feeling of the multiverse expanding in this film, and actually, without Tobey’s Peter and Andrew’s Peter being present for Tom’s Peter at this very moment, he may not become the Peter Parker that he’s supposed to become. … Getting three Spider-Men together could go one of two ways, and I think it’s a testament to these guys that it went the way that it went, which was a brotherhood, which is just beautiful.”

That "brotherhood" also got to create an adorably dynamic and genuine bond on screen. Like the moment when all three Peters look at each other and point a la this meme? That moment was just part of the three playing off each other. 

"Andrew, it was so collaborative, it was so playful -- from you cracking Tobey's back to you coming up with the idea to point at us, it was all stuff we came up with on the day," Tom said. "And it was just really fun to get to play with three guys in Spider-Man suits."

Tom for his part, was so nervous before the other two came that he had to bring backup to meet Tobey and Andrew for the first time. 

"The date of 'the other Spider-Mans are coming' was etched into my calendar," Tom explained. "At our first rehersal I had asked Jacob [Batalon] and Zendaya to come with me. to just kind of be there as my support system.

The Tick, Tick . . . BOOM star also went on an emotional journey over the past few years trying to keep his involvement in the movie a secret. Recently, he admitted that he was lying to everyone through his teeth, even close friend and former girlfriend Emma Stone. He told Deadline that having to zip it about the movie was also part of how meaningful the end result has become for him. 

“I justified my unethical lying behaviour,” he said. “I call it fibbing more than lying, but I kind of enjoyed it. It was quite fun, and it felt like that game Werewolf or Mafia where, you know, you’re the werewolf and you have to convince everyone that you’re not."

"So I kind of turned it into a little bit of a game for myself … even though there were all these leaks and all this stuff happening, I think there was enough doubt in everyone’s mind going, ‘Oh, god, what if it isn’t? What if they don’t show up?’ And then, so when we did, it kind of gave them that little extra little bit of icing on top.”

Andrew also got hit right in the feels when he watched the finished film together with Tobey.

“I watched the movie with Tobey for the first time, and I was in pieces. Like, this is a deep movie. This is a movie that is about a coming-of-age, an acceptance of loss, acceptance of death, taking responsibility for your gifts. I was torn open by the journey that Tom went on; it’s classic Peter Parker, but it felt totally fresh and totally reimagined."

"It is like, Tom’s origin story was happening in his third movie rather than his first. There’s something so profound. So the film, I feel, stands alone without me and Tobey showing up. I hope we enhance it, but I think [director] Jon Watts and Tom have made this something, actually, that is exceptionally moving, especially for young people, you know? I think it’s a beautiful film.”

Tom’s journey in his role is definitely on the mind of lots of fans, as there has been speculation that this is the last Spider-Man outing for the British hunk. Tom tried to address that lingering question, but he admitted that even he didn’t know if this was the end.

“The truthful answer, and I’ve done a whole press tour where all I do is lie. The truth is, and you’re not going to like the truth, I don’t know the answer to that question,” he admitted.

“I know that I am not ready to say goodbye,” he added. “But if it’s time for me to say goodbye, then I will do so proudly, knowing that I’ve achieved everything I wanted to with this character, and sharing it with these boys will be forever one of the most special experiences of my career. So, if it’s time, it’s time. If it’s not, it’s not, but at the moment, I don’t know.”

BEFORE YOU GO: Tiffany Haddish on dealing with grief and personal lows during her career high

[video_embed id='2363409']BEFORE YOU GO: Tiffany Haddish on dealing with grief and personal lows during her career high [/video_embed]